


Like a Damn Calf

by Thors_Drawers



Series: Rose Colored Redemption [5]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2020-11-22 21:09:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20880725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thors_Drawers/pseuds/Thors_Drawers
Summary: Arthur is told another pregnancy could kill his wife, but the Comstock Act has made it almost impossible to get birth control. The local Dr has another idea, though.





	1. Chapter 1

No more children.

Arthur sat down heavily on the sofa and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, letting the news sink in. Of course he'd known that Tess' last pregnancy hadn't gone well, she'd been confined to bed rest for the last two months of it, and was still there now even with Annie almost two weeks old. He pulled his hands from his face and tried to listen as the doc explained why having another baby would be such a risk to Tess' life. Unfortunately, Arthur had a hard enough time following medical jargon when he was clear headed, and right now his mind was reeling, but he got the point - no more kids.

"...so she could probably start getting up and about now," Arthur forced himself back to paying attention to what the doc was saying, "but I want to stress that she needs to go slow, and ease back into her regular life. I don't want to hear about her out there wrangling her sheep for at least a month, and then only if I say so."

Arthur groaned, "Oh Lord. She ain't gonna want ta hear that, she's been itchin' to get outta that bed ever since you said she had ta stay in it."

Dr Owens gave Arthur a sympathetic smile and pat on the shoulder as he made his way to the front door, "I know, son, and that's why I'm leaving it to you to deliver the news. Good luck," and with a tip of his hat he was gone.

"Coward," Arthur muttered as the door swung closed. He rose to put on the kettle for tea (he wasn't walking into this conversation without some sort of peace offering) and, as he waited for it to heat, Arthur looked around at his little home and the life he and Tess had built inside it.

Open to the main living room, the kitchen area was bright but small - barely big enough for the large round table that sat in the corner beneath the windows. Tess thought him extravagant, but Arthur had insisted on the table. Once getting past his initial panic at being a father again, he had dreamt of big family dinners with himself, Tess, and at least four or five kids. Arthur sighed sadly, looking over the chairs now destined to remain empty, until his eyes reached the last chair and he couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face. There laying on the seat was one of Bessie's dolls, forgotten when Tilly had arrived to take her and her new baby sister up to the main house to be spoiled by their grandfathers while the doctor examined their mama.

Crossing to the table, Arthur picked up the toy. It was just a simple dolly that Tess had knitted from yarn dyed pink, wearing a little dress made from fabric Arthur recognized as being from one of his old ruined shirts. It was nothing fancy, but Bessie loved that little doll with all her heart. Arthur's smile grew wider at the memory of how his daughter's face had lit up when Tess had presented her with the toy.

Arthur took the doll and moved to the bookcase in the living room. There he placed it on the lowest shelf, along with Bessie's picture books, the little wooden horse Uncle Charles had carved for her, the fancy new package of crayons Grandpa Dutch had bought to spoil her with (Arthur was itching to play with those himself, if he's being honest), and the harmonica Arthur still wanted to smack John for giving her (Daniel would _definitely_ be getting a drum this Christmas.) His eyes ranged over Bessie's little treasures and as he imagined Annie's own eventually growing the pile, Arthur felt such a swell of love and pride in his heart that he thought his chest just might burst from it.

_Tess is right_, he thought, _I am a silly man_.

Perhaps he would have liked a large brood, but Arthur had two beautiful children and an amazing wife who's health he would never dream of threatening. It was already more than he deserved, or had ever imagined he could have. How dare he ask for more?

_Besides_, he chuckled to himself, _if I want more kids around, I imagine Abigail'd be more'n happy to loan a couple out_.

Just then the teapot came to a boil and the smile fell from Arthur's face - _shit_ \- he still had to tell Tess she had to take it easy for another month. Arthur put an extra lump of sugar in the tea, swallowed hard, and headed down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, I've been really sick...

Arthur woke with the dawn, as usual. Years of sleeping outside had his internal clock well tuned and, no matter how heavy the curtains that hung in the bedroom, Arthur rose with the light - whether he could see it or not. Normally his stirring would wake Tess and she would rise alongside him. The fact that she was still sound asleep was all the proof Arthur needed that the doc was right; she needed to take it easy.

Arthur eased himself carefully out of bed. Taking care to be extra quiet he slipped jeans and boots over his union suit, and as he headed to the kitchen to put a couple of pots on the stove (coffee for himself and Tilly who was, once again, staying to help with the baby and tea for Tess when she woke) he reflected on the previous day's conversation, and how it had actually gone much better than he'd anticipated. Tess hadn't really been put out at all over not having any more children. This pregnancy had really taken a toll on her, and as she'd pointed out to him, even an easy pregnancy wasn't exactly a walk in the park. They had two beautiful children and she was happy, she couldn't ask for more.

After moving the now whistling tea kettle off the fire before it woke anyone, Arthur sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and opened a can of peaches. Normally, Tess would get after him for eating out of the can, but Arthur was the only one awake and he could do as he pleased. It wouldn't be long now before she was back to her usual routine, so he had to enjoy these little things while he could. Fishing another slice out of the can with his fingers, Arthur was glad that the second part of the previous day's conversation had also gone better than he could have hoped. Sure, Tess wasn't exactly _thrilled_ that she was expected to take things so slow. She was grumpy and tired of feeling so useless, but this way she could at least feel useless in a different room, and that weren't nothing.

Everything was gonna to be fine. His daughters were healthy and while his wife was still weak, she was well on her way. They just had to make _damn sure_ Tess didn't get pregnant again.

_Hang on..._

Arthur froze with the peach slice he had just retrieved from the can halfway to his mouth.

_ How exactly..._

The peach landed on the table with a wet _plop_.

Arthur knew there were ways of preventing pregnancy, but some old law (come up with by prudes who'd thought whorin' was the only reason for bith control) made most of the options pretty hard to come by, if he remembered correctly. There were other _methods_, sure, but if John and Abigail - who was pregnant _again_ \- were any indication, those methods weren't always reliable.

_So... did that mean they could never..?_

He needed to talk to Dr. Owens. Now.

The office wouldn't be open yet, but that was alright - he'd be there waiting when the doc arrived to start the day. Not bothering to put on a shirt, Arthur simply pulled a coat over his union suit and jeans and bolted out he door, leaving a hastily scrawled note for Tess next to his now forgotten peaches.

__________________________________

"Mr. Hannigan.... Mr. Hannigan... Arthur!"

Arthur snapped awake, his hand automatically flying to his hip and the gun he no longer wore, blinking at the bright sun shining in his face and trying to get his bearings.

"My boy, what are you doing here? Is something wrong with the Missus?"

Ah, right, the doctor. Arthur took the hand the Dr Owens offered and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"No, no, doc. Tess and Annie are both doin' just fine. I, uh, I wanted to ask ya about... somethin'... but I got here a little early, guess I nodded off. Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," Dr Owens said, pulling out his key ring and opening the office. Ushering Arthur through the door, he asked, "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah. Right... so, okay... " Arthur mumbled while staring at the floor and nervously rubbing the back of his neck, trying to figure out how to phrase his question.

"No need to be embarrassed." Smiling, the doctor took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Arthur to sit across from him. "I'm a doctor son, I've heard it all."

"Sure." Arthur sat down, still looking at the floor. "Sure... so, ya said Tess can't have no more babies..."

"Yes, I really think it could be dangerous for her. Why, is she taking it badly? Do you need me to speak with her?"

Arthur chuckled and finally looked up, "Oh, no doc she took it just fine. Bein' honest I think she was relieved she wouldn't have to go through that again."

"Well, that's good news, then. So, what was your question?"

"Um... well, how exactly do we... does that mean we can't, um... well, ya know...," beet red and back to staring at the floor, Arthur attempted to stammer out his question.

Dr Owens let Arthur stumble for a moment before taking pity on him, "Your asking me if the two of you can continue having _marital relation_s, yes?"

Arthur let out a relieved sigh and nodded. He was thankful that the doc hadn't made him say it. He didn't think he'd've put it _quite_ so professionally.

"Well, I won't lie to you, Arthur, it's risky. I would tell you to use condoms, but the damned Comstock Act has made it so even I, a _doctor_, can rarely get my hands on any," he suddenly slammed his hand down on the desk (making Arthur jump a damn mile) before rising to pace angrily around his office, his voice rising. "Bunch of holier-than-thou bastards making laws about what they don't understand! As if _prostitution_ and _promiscuity_ are the only reasons one might have for preventing a pregnancy. Clearly, none of _them_ have ever had to console a grieving family who's infant was dying from malnutrition because they already had more mouths than they could feed _before_ getting pregnant."

The doctor heaved a deep sigh and stopped pacing, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry for the outburst," he said wearily as he dropped his hand and looked back to where Arthur was sitting stock still watching him, eyes blown wide with surprise. "Bit of a sore subject."

"Sure. I... I 'spose it would be, seein' somethin' like that an' all, " Arthur mumbled as he made to get out of his seat. "I'm sorry, guess I should prob'ly just get goin'..."

"No, please," Dr Owens waved his hand at Arthur to keep his seat as he re-took his own, "I really do apologize. Now, as for your situation, there are a few ways to avoid a pregnancy. Of course the easiest and most reliable_ is_ abstinence."

"Not sure I'd call that _easy_..." Arthur grumbled quietly to the floor. The doctor ignored him and continued.

"There are other ways that involve... _timing_, either in the moment or on a monthly basis, but those aren't always reliable - to which your brother can attest."

Arthur's face fell as his heart dropped to his feet. "So... so, are ya sain' we _can't_... _ever_?"

Dr Owns leaned forward on the desk, resting his chin on his crossed fingers, regarding Arthur for a moment before answering, "Well, now, I might have another option, but I'm not quite sure how you'll feel about it. Tell me son, have you ever heard of a_ vasectomy_?"


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur's head was spinning. Once again, the medical talk had gone a bit over his head, but the part he did grasp sounded all too familiar.

"So... yer sayin' you wanna _geld_ me? Like a _damn calf?_" Arthur asked Dr Owens incredulously, trying (and mostly failing) to keep his voice even.

"What? No, son - no!" the doctor replied shaking his head and looking at Arthur as if _he_ was the one suggesting something crazy. "It's really a rather simple surgery, nothing will be _removed_, Arthur," he continued before muttering under his breath, " Good God, we're doctors not barbarians..."

"Sorry, doc," Arthur mumbled back, staring down at the floor yet again. He'd spent most of this visit with Dr Owens being embarrassed in one way or another and it seemed he wasn't done yet.

"It's alright Arthur, I know the medical language can be a bit confusing. But trust me, everything should still...uh, _function_ as it always has."

_ Should???_ Arthur thought to himself.

"I'm hoping Dr Renaud can explain it a little clearer for you."

"Dr Renaud?" Arthur asked, something tickling the back of his memory at the name that he couldn't quite place.

"Yes, he's a dear friend and colleague of mine. He's been working as an assistant to a Dr Sharp at the Indiana Reformatory for some time and they've performed the procedure on over fifty men now."

"At the reformatory? Why?"

" Well, Dr Sharp had a theory that it would help reduce criminal or violent tendencies in men, and what better place to find violent men? Unfortunately, there seems to be no affect in that regard. Now Sharp's focus has shifted to stopping men with those tendencies from passing them on. As for Renaud, well, it's not easy for him to find a position in a hospital or to set up his own office. For years he took to travelling around in a wagon treating poor folk, but he wanted more surgical experience and Dr Sharp didn't care that..." he cut himself off and cast a critical look at Arthur. "Before I go on, I suppose I should ask you now, you don't have an objection to the surgery being performed by a colored man, do you?"

"Hmm? No, no not at all, "Arthur answered waving his hand dismissively, the wheels in his mind turning quickly.

Renaud. Wagon. Colored doctor.

Hang on.

Arthur dug around in his satchel a moment before coming up with a business card which he read out loud before handing it to Dr Owens.

"Dr Alphonse Renaud. This wouldn't happen to be your friend, would it?"

Dr Owens took the card, eyebrows shooting up in surprise, "Why yes. Yes, as a matter of fact it is. How on Earth...?"

"Met him when we was down south a few years back," Arthur explained. "Helped him retrieve his wagon from some folks who... well let's just say _they_ did have an objection to colored doctors. He gave me some tonic as a thank you - good stuff too. Helped me save a feller I met been snakebit." Arthur's brow furrowed as he recalled the memory, "Twice actually, damn fool was like a magnet for the things."

"Hmmm, really is a small world, isn't it?" Dr Owens mused before handing Arthur back the card. "Well. Alphonse has been wanting to take a vacation for ages. Every time we correspond he mentions coming out this way for a visit. I think your situation will be just the push he needs to finally do it."

"I don't know, doc," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck akwardly, "not sure I'm much of a vacation..."

"Nonsense dear boy, I'm sure he will be thrilled to perform the procedure on a more... _willing_ patient. Additionally, while Dr Sharp is interested in curbing criminal behavior, Alphonse is more interested in the benefits the procedure could have for regular folks like yourself who need, or simply _want_, to avoid a pregnancy." He paused a moment before adding, "He may want to share your story with the medical journals, but anonymously of course."

Arthur nodded along, still rubbing his neck, his confusion and doubt showing on his face as his mind raced.

"Tell you what," the doctor said, rising to his feet with Arthur following suit, "why don't you think on it for a while? Maybe talk it over with the missus. It'll take some time for Dr Renaud to make his arrangements and come out here, and Tess still needs some recovery time as well," he ushered Arthur towards the door, "and_ I_ have some patients I need to check in on this morning. I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I hear from Renaud," with that Arthur found himself outside, the little bell tinkling as Dr Owens stepped back inside and closed the door.

________________

Arthur didn't talk it over with Tess, at least not right away. She could tell something was on his mind, as he was quieter and seemed more pensive than usual. She knew he sometimes had his moods, but he never took them out on her or the girls, so she could wait him out - he'd talk about it when he was ready.

John on the other hand wasn't quite so patient.

"What's going on with you?" he finally snapped on the third day. "You keep mopin' around," he stopped, dropping the bale of hay he was carrying as he and Arthur fed the horses, "that was the third joke I made you didn't laugh at - and that was a good one, too," he added churlishly.

Arthur sighed and dropped his own hay bale, sitting down on it and rubbing his eyes.

"Doc says we can't have no more kids."

John sat down and lit a cigarette, handing it off to Arthur before lighting one of his own.

"Well," he said, tilting his head back to blow smoke into the sky, "I know you wanted a big family, and I imagine you'd've liked a boy in the mix, too." John took another drag and looked Arthur in the eye, "But you got two beautiful little girls, Arthur. Ain't you the one always tellin' me to appreciate what I got?" John grinned, "Plus, you want boys around, you can always borrow some of mine."

Arthur chuckled, "Yeah, I thought o' that too, but that's not really the problem."

John quirked an eyebrow in question, "Then...?"

The two sat there, smoking and talking, for the better part of an hour; Arthur recounting his visit with the doctor, John mostly listening, but asking a question here and there.

When it was all out, they sat in silence for a moment before John asked, "So, this...um, _procedure_, it's either that or you can't ever...?"

"Never," Arthur confirmed.

"Then how is this even a question?"

"I don't know, John... Its _surgery_... _down there_..."

"Oh, come on, it's Dr Owens. He's delivered four of our kids, he patched up Charles when he got that burn. _Hell_, he took Sean's leg off for chrissakes. You can trust him."

"I know, but -"

"Have you talked to your wife about this?" John asked, cutting him off.

"No, not yet."

"Well, ya might wanna do that. I imagine she'll have some opinions on never being able to... uh, _satisfy_ -"

"Please don't finish that sentence, John."

The brothers shared a look before both burst out laughing, Arthur feeling lighter than he had in days. John was right, he'd talk to Tess that night.


	4. Chapter 4

"Uh, Tess honey?"

Tess looked up from where she was knitting next to the fire, Bessie having been tucked into bed and little Annie fast asleep in the cradle at Tess' feet. Arthur only ever called her that when something was on his mind. Sure enough, Arthur was staring blankly into the fire and rubbing at the back of his neck; seems he was finally ready to talk about whatever had been bothering him this last week or so.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked gently, setting down the booties that Annie probably wouldn't grow into for a month or two yet, and trying not to spook her husband who clearly didn't _want_ to talk about whatever it was he _needed_ to talk about.

"I...uh...so, I went to talk to the doc a couple mornin's ago."

"Mmm, so is _that_ where you went when you left a mess of peaches all over my kitchen table?" she responded with a sly smile, hoping he caught the amusement in her voice.

Apparently he did, as he grinned at her sheepishly but seemed to relax a tad, "Oh. Yeah, sorry 'bout that, darlin'."

"It's alright, though I do wish you wouldn't eat straight from the can," Tess sighed. "So, what did you and Dr Owens talk about?" she asked, even though she was fairly sure she already knew.

"Well, you know how he said you shouldn't have no more babies...?" Arthur began, confirming her suspicion, "So I, well... I wanted to find out how to make sure o' that without it meanin' we can't... uh.. _ya know_, anymore...?"

Tess couldn't help a small grin at Arthur's bashfullness (they had two children together for goodness sake) but she couldn't bring herself to tease him about it as she normally would. After all, this had been on her mind this last week as well.

"And," Tess began, asking a question that (based, if nothing else, on Arthur's moods the last few days) she was afraid she already knew the answer to, "did Dr Owens have any ideas?"

"Actually, yeah... Yeah, he did. You ever hear of a vas... vass... vasermecty?"

To Arthur's credit, he tried to explain. He really did. But the medical talk had gone over his head when the doctor had explained it to _him_. He told Tess about the doc's outburst and how condoms weren't really an option. He recounted both his and Dr. Owens' mutual surprise at him already being acquainted with Dr. Renaud. He explained as much as he could remember about what Renaud had been up to at the reformatory. When it came to explaining the procedure itself, however, Arthur was at a loss. In the end he found himself falling back on the one thing that he still, even after years of living peacefully, knew better than most any thing else.

"It's like... well ok, I guess it's like the gun still shoots, right? But all that comes out is... is just the spent casings - no actual bullets, if, uh... if ya take my meanin'."

Tess just nodded. She thought she got the point well enough. Arthur, who until then had been staring at a spot beyond Tess' right shoulder now turned his eyes to hers, "So, uh wha-whaddya think?"

Tess didn't quite know. Arthur was patient as she chewed on her lip and thought it over. Part of her wanted to scream_ Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!_, the idea of never again being able to make love to her husband without potentially risking her life (which she knew Arthur would never do) making her feel like her heart would break into a million tiny pieces. On the other hand, surgery was risky. True, it was much better than during their parents' time. Gone were the days of men having limbs amputated whilst wide awake, nothing to ease the pain save for a leather strap to bite on and, if they were very lucky, a bottle of whiskey to dull their senses. That being said, there were plenty of things that could go wrong - and if the idea of never making love to Arthur again made her heart want to break, the idea of losing him made it want to shrivel up and die in her chest.

Still, Tess trusted Dr Owens, and Arthur had spoken well of Dr Renaud...

When she looked back up at Arthur and saw the hope in his eyes (despite him obviously trying hard to keep his expression neutral) she made her decision.

"Well," she sighed, reaching out for Arthur's hand, "if he's already comin' out this way... I don't suppose it could hurt to talk to him, could it?"

__________

Three months later Arthur was enduring the most embarrassing moment of his life. For years he had thought nothing could be worse than the time when he was sixteen and Hosea had unexpectedly walked into his tent to find him..._enjoying his own company_. This, though... This was much, _much_ worse.

Dr Renaud had arrived a little over a month after Dr Owens had first discussed the idea with Arthur. There was a brief moment of uncertainty in just how this would play out when they had gone to meet Renaud's stage. After greeting his friend, Dr Renaud had strode over to where Arthur was waiting with the horses, hand outstretched and exclaimed, "So good to see you again, Mr Morg-"

"Hannigan," Arthur quickly cut him off, "Arthur Hannigan, good to see you as well."

Dr Rrenaud's hand fell as he looked in confusion from Arthur to Dr Owens and back again. "I'm sorry? We did meet down in Rhodes, didn't we? You helped me when those... _gentlemen_... stole my wagon?"

"Yessir, that was me, Arthur _Hannigan_," Arthur answered, his eyes nervously darting to Dr Owens.

"But now, I was certain your name was Morgan. I made note of it in my ledger when I gave you the tonic..." Renaud reached into the case he carried. Fishing out a small book, he opened it and started flipping through the pages.

"Well now, I don't know about that -" Arthur began before Dr Owens interrupted.

"Alphonse, would you excuse us just a moment? Arthur, a word?" he walked around to the end of the building, Arthur following.

As he turned to face him, Arthur opened his mouth as if to speak, but the doctor raised his hand, cutting him off.

"It's alright Arthur, I know who you are."

Arthur's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, before narrowing dangerously.

"I don't know what yer talkin' abou t, doc," he replied, his voice low and threatening.

Dr Owens swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous. He knew about Arthur's past, but this was the first time he'd seen the outlaw on the face of the rancher he'd grown to know and like. It was terrifying.

"I know who you are, Arthur, I know who you _all_ are. Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Hosea Matthews, Dutch Van der Linde."

Arthur remained silent, his face blank, eyes never leaving those of this man who somehow knew his name. Dr Owens took a steadying breath, his eyes flicking to where Arthur's fists were slowly clenching and unclenching at his sides, before continuing.

"It really is alright, Arthur. You see, Sheriff Davis needed a doctor's signature on the death certificates. It was hard for me to not notice that out of the four deaths I was confirming there were only two bodies, seeing as the other two deceased had gotten up and gone home to their families."

"So... you've known? All this time."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"...why?"

"Why would you help us?" Arthur had relaxed slightly. The knowledge that if any of this was found out the doc would swing along with the rest of them had eased his fear that this was some kind of trap, and now he was mostly just confused. Dr Owens felt his own tension begin to melt away as he chuckled to himself.

"Oh, don't worry," he smiled, clapping Arthur on the shoulder and starting back to where Dr Renaud was waiting, "it wasn't an altruistic, moral high-ground thing. Ambrose made sure I was paid well for my troubles. And besides," he leaned in close to Arthur and lowered his voice, Arthur tilting his head down to the shorter man to hear his confession, "at the rate he's havin' em, delivering your brother's babies is gonna put my son through college all on it's own."

And with that, any lingering tension faded away as the two men emerged, laughing, from around the side of the building. Dr Owens had a quick, quiet word with his collegue and from then on Arthur's surname was once more Hannigan with Arthur Morgan dead in the ground.

From that point, things had gone rather smoothly, Dr Renaud able to soothe most of Arthur and Tess' anxiety over the procedure. Of course, Arthur was still nervous as he laid on the operating table with a cone over his mouth and nose, breathing in whatever it was the doctors had soaked the sponge at the top with. After a few minutes Dr Renaud had asked him to count backwards from ten in what Arthur assumed was an attempt to distract him from what was about to happen, but by the time he reached seven he was waking up.

Still, Arthur was Arthur.

The operation may have went well, but the recovery was miserable. Not so much for Arthur himself, but for those who had to deal with him. He hadn't been confined to bed rest, but Tess almost wished he had. At least then she could have shut him up in the bedroom and been free of him on occasion. No, Arthur was allowed to sit in the living room using a special U shaped pillow Tess had sewn for him. However, he was not allowed to do much more than sit all day in one spot. He wasn't to walk more than from the bed to the sofa or out to relieve himself. He certainly wasn't allowed to work and couldn't even hold anything in his lap heavier than baby Annie - though after a very jealous, and much heavier, Bessie had tried to crawl into his lap he kept it to a minimum, _that_ being an experience he had no desire to repeat. He sketched and he read, but mostly he sulked. And complained. And generally drove Tess out of her mind. In a final, desperate attempt to not kill her husband Tess decided to teach Arthur to knit. He of course balked at the idea, but eventually the boredom won out and he found himself giving in. They were both surprised when (after the initial fumbling and cursing) he took to it rather easily, and in fact found it rather enjoyable. Something in the rhythmic and predictable nature seemed to sooth his mind when it wanted to run wild, and (though no one else ever knew) it was a hobby he kept up throughout his life.

Today he was back at the doctor's office for a final visit to ensure the procedure's success. It had been bad enough when the docs made him drop his drawers so they could poke and prod around his giblets to make sure his insicion had healed up to their satisfaction, but he'd been prepared for that. What he wasn't prepared for was being handed a cup and a stack of photographs, and being ushered into the back room. You see, the docs had explained, in order to clear Arthur to resume normal relations with Tess safely (something Arthur was very anxious to do) they would need to check his... _emissions_ under the microscope to ensure the procedure's success.

So, after some protesting and much embarrassment, Arthur'd emerged from the back awkwardly handing the cup to Dr Owens after resigning to never look the man in the eyes again (he wasn't entirely sure he'd ever be able to look _anyone_ in the eye again...) He waited miserably while the doctors examined what he'd somehow managed to produce. Looking up once, he had watched Dr Renaud dip his hand into the cup and then rub his fingers together as if examining the texture. After that Arthur kept his eyes firmly fixed to the floor.

Instead, his mind wandered to Tess, and all the things they hadn't been able to to for nearly half a year and how, by god, he was gonna start making up for lost time the minute the docs gave him the go ahead. He longed to plunge his hands into her hair and pull her close before plunging his...

"...thur? Arthur!"

Arthur was pulled out of his daydream by Dr Renaud and found himself quite glad he had set his hat in his lap.

"Oh, uh, sorry doc. My mind was wanderin'."

The doctor just gave Arthur a look, a knowing twinkle in his eye, "So it would seem. Well, as I was saying, after checking everything over, we're ready to say your procedure was completely successful."

Arthur stood, "So, does that mean I'm good to... ya know..."

"Indeed," he turned back toward the desk where Dr Owens was making notes in a file, "we're both in agreement that you and your wife can safely resume - "

He was cut off by the sound of the little bell tinkling over the door. Looking up, the two men saw Arthur through the window, already on his horse and headed home at a gallop.

_______

Tess was standing at the sink washing dishes when Arthur burst through the door. She barely had time to turn around before he was kissing her and lifting her to sit on the counter.

"Arthur!" she laughed breathlessly, "What are you doing?"

Arthur nuzzled into her neck, answering between the kisses he was leaving there, "Whatcha _think_ I'm doin'?"

"So I take it the doctor had good news?"

Arthur just hummed into her neck and continued on with his business.

"Well, then," Tess pushed away and hopped off the counter. Arthur groaned in protest before Tess grabbed his hand and led him down the hall toward their bedroom.

"Come with me, you silly man."

**Author's Note:**

> In 1873 the Comstock Act passed in the United States prohibiting advertisements, information, and distribution of birth control and allowing the postal service to confiscate birth control sold through the mail.  
In a 1938 case involving Margaret Sanger, a judge lifted the federal ban on birth control, ending the Comstock era.
> 
> The first recorded vasectomy was performed on a dog in 1823. A short time after that, R. Harrison of London performed the first human vasectomy; however the surgery was not done for sterilization purposes, but to bring about atrophy of the prostate. The first case report of vasectomy in the U.S. was in 1897, by A. J. Ochsner, a surgeon in Chicago, in a paper titled, "Surgical treatment of habitual criminals." In 1902, Harry C. Sharp, the surgeon at the Indiana Reformatory, reported that he had sterilized 42 inmates, in an effort to both reduce criminal behavior in those individuals and prevent the birth of future criminals
> 
> This story takes place in 1905.


End file.
